Sign in

Matt Bryant

@pondering-skies.bsky.social
81 followers 75 following 56 posts

Nature enthusiast | Dabbles in words, images and sounds ponderingskies.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
A baby razorbill gets in some early wing flaps. It will soon be able to fly above and below the water! This perch is high above the rocky shore and well below the top of a steep cliff at the @rspb.bsky.social Northern Ireland Seabird Center. #seabirds #rathlinisland #birds #wildlife
060
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
European Stonechat, Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland @rspbni.bsky.social #seabirds #northernireland #wildlife #wildlifephotography #rathlinisland #birdphotography
0121
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Oystercatchers, Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland @rspbni.bsky.social #seabirds #northernireland #wildlife #wildlifephotography #birds #rathlinisland
0131
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
A young razorbill spotted way below the top of a cliff lookout on a visit to Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland. The @rspbni.bsky.social Seabird Center is an amazing place to visit! #razorbills #seabirds #birdwatching #northernireland
0213
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Puffins spotted way below the top of a cliff lookout on a visit to Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland. The @rspb.bsky.social Seabird Center is an amazing place to visit! #puffins #seabirds #birdwatching #northernireland
0111
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Gimme bird-scrolling over doom-scrolling any day! ponderingskies.substack.com/p/birds-eye-... #birds #birdwatching #wildlife #nature #urbannature
ponderingskies.substack.com
Birds-eye view from the front porch
Give me bird-scrolling over doom-scrolling any day
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I posted a trip report for the adventure my wife and I had at the coast of #NorthCarolina to visit a few national wildlife refuges. Link in my profile bio! #bears #blackbears #wolves #redwolves #wildlife #nature #conservation #birds #outerbanks #wildliferefuge
A black bear in a field of grass and flowers
0141
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
A resident dove trying out our front porch swing. I was about a meter or 3 feet away when I took this shot through a vintage glass window, so the image isn’t super crisp but good enough. They are so lovely! #doves #birds #birdwatching #nature #urbannature #birdphotography
A dove sitting on a porch swing
060
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Spring equinox sunrise from my bird-watching, coffee-drinking front porch perch. The two orange bars show the sun’s position at summer and winter solstice. I love how the sun is centered from this porch view, and by the two oak trees in the distance. #equinox #springequinox #sunrise #birdwatching
Spring equinox sunrise and front porch swing
150
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I wrote a tribute to our late dog Rudy, a very special boy who made a big impression in our lives. ponderingskies.substack.com/p/who-rescue... #dogs #pets #rescuedog #cattledog #redheeler #whorescuedwho #petadoption
ponderingskies.substack.com
Who Rescued Who?
A tribute to one little dog who made a really big impression
120
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Morning after pics from yesterday's big storm! #snow #NorthCarolina #Greensboro #morningafter #aroundtheyard
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
A song sparrow stopping at our front yard feeder during today's snowstorm for a little early dinner. #sparrow #birdsofbluesky #birds #snow
051
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
"A live stream worth watching": A citizen science effort monitors watershed health, connects people to local ecology, and provides the perfect excuse for getting outdoors. See my latest Substack! Link in my bio. #nature #watershed #macroinvertebrates #waterpollution #citizenscience #northcarolina
A woman in a wooded stream looks into a small dipnet
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
I noticed this tiny bit of moss growing on piece of old, decaying tree. I love the juxtaposition of the bright, organic green against the geometric, decaying layers of wood. Even things that are dead and decaying still support life. There’s a whole community right there! #moss #decay #nature #trees
060
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
I saw this turkey vulture watching over railroad tracks below. The bird didn't flinch as an Amtrak passenger train passed close by. My hunch is it uses trains to aid in hunting small critters spooked by the train vibration and movement on the tracks. #birds #vulture #nature #urbannature #wildlife
050
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Tree graffiti. #trees #graffiti #nature
040
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
A common site where I live: trees that have been butchered (inadvertently sculpted?) to avoid power lines. #trees #urbannature #evergreen #builtenvironment #humanecology
000
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
A cold front moved through my part of #NorthCarolina today and had the trees swaying, creaking, and crackling. I love the sound of wind through the tree canopy. 🌳🌲 #trees #forest #wind #weather #hiking #ambient #forestsounds #nature #treecanopy
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
This little buddy got caught in our chimney last night. I managed to catch it in a live trap with some bird seed, which I know they love. It is now free and has returned to its #squirrel family. #wildlife #urbanwildlife
000
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
I think last night was the first time I've received a "frozen fog advisory" from the weather service. This was last night's frosty December moonlight, presented by some resident oaks. #frosty #moon #nightsky #fog #trees #moonlight
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
A lovely #bluebird visiting the #beautyberry bush in our back yard today #birds #wildlife #birdphotography #nature #naturephotography
070
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Full-on fall showing its colors! Leaves from our hike this morning in Haw River State Park, and the deep reds of the dogwood tree in our yard. #trees #fall #nature #dogwood #hiking #northcarolina
050
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Beautiful, perfect fall morning in the front yard. #urbannature #pollinators #nature #naturelovers #sunrise #fall
141
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Bumble bees just starting to wake up on their sunflower beds 🌻🌻 #frontyardcritters #bees #nature #naturelovers #flowers #sunflowers #pollinators #urbannature #nativeplants #nativegarden
060
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
A perfect fall evening on the front porch. As the sun sets in the west and the moon rises in the southeast, there is a light cool breeze and sounds of crickets, someone playing a fiddle, a freight train horn, and the last chirps from cardinals, towhees, and catbirds as they bed down for the evening.
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Listen to Palmer McIntyre and Hollis Oberlies on their book Trails & Treats – A Hiker and Runner’s Guide to Great Trails and Good Eats in North Carolina on the process of creating the book, what they learned, and what inspires their passion for the outdoors. rovingnature.net/episode-4/tr...
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Leaf miner activity on a lakeside post oak tree #nature #trees
040
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
One of the many natural areas managed by the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. It's amazing how far you can see (including so much sky!), and how quiet it was out there. The only thing you could hear was the occasional redwing blackbird, a gentle breeze, or the squeak of a prairie dog. #Colorado
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
These Colorado views were amazing, but what you can't tell without the aid of binoculars or a telephoto lens is that wayyyy in the distance in the top photo is a herd of roaming bison, and in the bottom a herd of roaming pronghorn. #Colorado #bison #pronghorn #wildlife #bigsky #nature
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
My wife Julia watching me watching a hawk high up yonder on those there rocks. #WhosWatchingWho #nature #rivers
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
A special friend visited us this morning! Bright eyed and ready for the world, this cicada was many years in the making, having spent the last 13-17 years as an underground nymph. I hope it survives without being eaten on the first day or two by a bird lol... #cicada #insects #wildlife #urbannature
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
I've visited and lived in a lot of places around the U.S., but I haven't seen a city with such a robust #naturalareas program as #FortCollins, CO. There are so many areas are set aside for recreation, relaxation, and education! More on their program - www.fcgov.com/naturalareas... #Colorado
fcgov.com
About Us || Natural Areas
Thanks to community-driven sales tax ballot measures, there are 52 conserved natural areas and over100 miles of trail! Natural areas are yours to enjoy and steward. Find a natural area near you!
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Up close with bison near Denver, CO. These amazing animals are descendants of the last wild bison in North America. They clearly felt the urge to take dirt naps on this sweltering hot day, and you can see I'm getting some stink eye for having taken their photo without permission. #bison #wildlife
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
I'm currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and I thought of the book on my walk this morning along the river when I discovered someone had left a walking stick for someone else to use on their hike. #nature #hiking #braidingsweetgrass #gifting
371
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Crowdsourced added useful information, namely "Aim for the middle of the railroad bridge, and you should be OK." #rivers #text #signs #graffiti
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
I ran across this along the shore of the Cache la Poudre River near Fort Collins, Colorado. At first I thought they were some kind of fish or frog eggs, but turns out they are actually a jelly fungus, likely Dacrymyces chrysospermus. #alwayslearning #fungi #rivers #nature #ecology #Colorado
030
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
From a morning visit along the Cache la Poudre River near Fort Collins, Colorado. This river valley is so tranquil and peaceful...a much needed remedy to settle my unsettled mind. #Colorado #rivers #nature #hiking #ecology
040
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Industrialization comes with a hefty price tag, in more ways than one, but it doesn't have to be this way. 110 of 117 bodies of water tested by Environment Agency in the UK would fail standards, with levels in fish 322 times the planned limit. #PFAS #environment #pollution #policy #ForeverChemicals
theguardian.com
Toxic Pfas above proposed safety limits in almost all English waters tested
Exclusive: 110 of 117 bodies of water tested by Environment Agency would fail standards, with levels in fish 322 times the planned limit
000
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
This evening's sky #sky #clouds #sunset
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Some local natural wonders collected on a local wooded trail, which include loblolly pine, winged elm, American beech, willow oak, scarlet oak, white oak, American holly, black tupelo, and sweetgum; pink lady slippers (not in bloom, unfortunately); and panicled ticktrefoil. #trees #leaves #nature
020
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Unsettling times, soothing sky. #sunset #sky #weather #atmosphere #mood
010
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Flora happenings around the yard this evening. #NorthCarolina #spring #flora #urbannature
000
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
"The study pointed to three main drivers of the decline: pesticide use, climate change and habitat loss." #butterflies #biodiversity #habitatloss #pesticides #insects #climatechange #nature
wbur.org
Study finds butterfly population declined 22% between 2000 and 2020
Butterflies are declining rapidly across the contiguous United States, including in Massachusetts. Research published in the journal Science found reductions in both species diversity and overall numb...
060
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
My wife scored this great puzzle for me on my local neighborhood buy-nothing Facebook group. #birds #puzzles #nature #wildlife #birdpuzzle #naturepuzzle #ornithology #Sibley
A Sibley bird puzzle box on a wood table
190
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
Who's watching who? I'll tell you! I was watching this red shouldered hawk through my camera, who was quietly watching and hunting the small birds and chipmunks below who frequent the bird feeders in our back yard. #urbanwildlife #naturelovers #naturephotography #raptors #redshoulderedhawk #hawk
A red shouldered hawk perched in a tree
140
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
What does it mean to "keep a river"? Do you know what #watershed you live in? Do you know where your drinking water comes from, and where your wastewater goes? Check out this Roving Nature Podcast with Haw #Riverkeeper Emily Sutton! 🐸🦆🐢🐠🦞🛶 rovingnature.net/episode-2/ke... #rivers #nature
A woman and a dog stand on a large rock in a river with sunlit trees behind them.
051
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
In my latest Roving Nature blog post, I share photos and a video I made a couple of years ago on the Swannanoa River in Swannanoa, North Carolina. We can always find beauty in nature, even in what's been lost. rovingnature.net/blog/swept-a... #wnc #westernnorthcarolina #swannanoa #naturelovers
rovingnature.net
Swept away in Swannanoa — ROVING NATURE
I recently came across some photos and a video I made a couple of years ago of a vacation spot in Swannanoa, North Carolina, which has since been destroyed after Hurricane Helene.
031
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
In Ep.1 of my Roving Nature Podcast, we hear from Nadja Cech, who is a scientist, teacher, mother, writer, and manager of an urban community garden. Hear how the garden is a place where boundaries blur, nature flourishes, and ideas are born. #Nature #Gardening rovingnature.net/episode-1/nu...
030
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
I don't like to come out of my shell all the time, either, so I can totally relate. I spotted this eastern box turtle on the forest floor as I was walking around the watershed trails in Greensboro, North Carolina. I love finding and capturing critters in photos! #turtles #naturephotography #hiking
030
Matt Bryant @pondering-skies.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Good morning, world. Here's a little house sparrow spotted on the streets of NYC to start your day. I do love bird spotting and nature photography, even if it's smack dab in the middle of a busy city. #birdphotography #nature #urbannature #birds #wildlife #naturephotography
070